Who we are

At the University of Essex we have been researching the concept of Green Exercise for 14 years, coining the term itself in 2003. The Green Exercise Research Team comprises experts in the areas of exercise physiology, health and well-being, environmental sustainability, community engagement, behaviour change.

What we do

We examine where, when, how and why Green Exercise brings health and well-being benefits. We aim to understand who can benefit most from Green Exercise, and how it can be used as a means to drive behaviour change.

We also research Green Care - nature-based interventions that promote health and well-being outcomes, often for specific vulnerable groups.

Our research has far-reaching implications for both public health and environmental agenda at a local, national and international level.

The team

Dr Mike Rogerson

Mike is the Green Exercise Research Team's Research Officer. His research has merged existing research methods to compare different environmental exercise settings, focusing on understanding how characteristics of the individual, exercise and environment can influence cognitive and psychological wellbeing outcomes of green exercise participation. Mike is project lead on current evaluation work.

Dr Jo Barton

Jo is a Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Science and leads the Green Exercise research programme at the University of Essex. Her research primarily focuses on the acute health outcomes of exercising in different environments. She is interested in the physiological and psychological effects of green exercise during exercise and post-recovery. Jo works with a range of vulnerable groups including youth at risk, adults experiencing mental ill-health, children and older adults to explore how green exercise can be used as a vehicle to drive behavior change.

Dr Valerie Gladwell

Valerie was awarded a 3 year Economic and Social Research Council early career fellowship in 2009, to investigate the benefits of green exercise for mainly physiological but also psychological health. Alongside her former British Heart Foundation PhD student, she has also explored the impact of green exercise in reducing stress within the workplace.

Professor Jules Pretty OBE

Jules is Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex and Professor of Environment and Society. Author of 18 books, he is a Fellow of the Society of Biology and the Royal Society of Arts, former Deputy-Chair of the government's Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, and have served on advisory committees for a number of government department and research councils. Jules received an OBE in 2006 for services to sustainable agriculture, and an honorary degree from Ohio State University in 2009.

John-James Wooller

John's research primarily focuses on the cognitive mechanisms responsible for green exercise. Existent research shows that Green Exercise is beneficial to psychological well-being, but to date very little research has focused on the underlying cognitive mechanisms responsible for this effect. By better understanding the reasons behind these positive psychological effects, it will be possible to maximise the benefits of green exercise programmes.

Elliott Flowers

Elliott is a PhD Researcher within the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science. His current research seeks to further uncover the impact of green exercise on psychological well-being and health. Elliott has a passion for understanding the impact of beliefs on human behaviour and he actively researches placebo effects.

Dr Rachel Bragg

Rachel is a visiting Fellow at the University of Essex, and Development Coordinator of Care Farming UK. Her research, training skills and expertise are in the area of green exercise and green care, care farming, community development, farming and food systems, sustainable agriculture, deliberative and participatory methods for assessments in many contexts.

Dr Paul Freeman

Paul is a lecturer in sports and exercise sciences. In addition to other topics in sports and exercise psychology, his research interests include beliefs about green exercise behaviour - an area he is examining with Dr Valerie Gladwell and Elliott Flowers